This isn’t me

Have you ever felt like people expect too much from you? Wherever you go, whatever you do, people expect you to behave in a certain way. Even if you are with your family, or at work, with friends and relatives, or even strangers, people always expect you to behave in a certain way, or do certain things. This is a very serious thing to think about.

Do you remember being a child; let’s say around 10 years old? It’s an age where you parents let you do whatever you like. If you feel like running you will run, if you are hungry you will eat, if you want something you will fight for it. You don’t think about the future or what you will be when you leave school. The only thing you give a little bit of thought to is exams; but when it comes to life, you are free.

However the question to ask is, are you still that same child? What happened to that child along the way? Is that child still running free, enjoying life? I guess not! Somehow somewhere down the line that child grew up. Some of you may say growing up is a good thing, in a way it is, as you become more matured and start realising what’s right and wrong. But what happened to that stress free simple mind? Ask yourself, are you really that happy now as you were when you were 10 years old? I know for a fact that I am not.

Why would this child change from that person to the person you are now? The answer is simply, Influence. I believe this is the main cause why that child started to disappear. When we are young we are free, but as we grow we start getting influenced by various means. It could be parents, siblings, school, workplace or simply the society all in one.

Some influences can be good, it may improve you, but majority I believe is not so good. For example, a child with a creative artistic ability should not be influenced or encouraged to study Math. So many parents try their best to influence their children’s minds to choose a career field they want them to do, not what the child wants to do. This is wrong! In the same way a child may like to do Math, but his friends or society may discriminate him for doing so and call him a nerd. This might hurt that child so much that it could create psychological problems for him resulting him in being exactly what they expected him to be – a nerd!

Then what about each one of us? I know for a fact that I am not where I should have been, and I am not the person I should have been either. If I had followed my true dreams, the dreams I had when I was 10 years old and if I had continued thinking, feeling and acting the way I used to, not caring about what the society thinks of me, I would have been a much better stronger person, pursuing my own dreams and standing up for myself. But instead due to the influence I became an innocent girl, who hardly spoke for myself, working for a society that doesn’t not care, and the 10 year old me got lost somehow, somewhere.

Some of you may wonder, is it too late to bring the missing child back? I don’t think so. If you believe you are not the person you should have been, do what I did. That child is still within you, you may see this child in the mirror if you look hard enough. So go in front of the mirror, take a good hard look at the person staring back at you and think… How can I take you out? For a second forget about everything the society wants from you, or what your friends and family expect out of you. Think about the feelings you used to have, the dreams you used to dream, the things you used to want. Take steps to make your 10 year old dreams come true, the real you will be out in no time! And once this happens you will be the happiest you have ever been!